Aienkien
by Haya-dono
Summary: A slightly different outtake of Yukimura's SW4 Chronicle Mode events with FemCAW. A young woman and Yukimura Sanada meet on the battlefield, interwined by an unusual request from Ieyasu Tokugawa. Continuous meetings lead to the hatching of a devious plan of "I want you to like me." (Yukimura/OC)


_Author's Note 1. _

_Aienkien is the reading of the idiom 合縁奇縁 __(あいえんきえん__). It means: A couple strangely but happily united; uncanny relationship formed by a quirk of fate._

_The story also includes the first Nobuyuki event, but it doesn't go down that route._

* * *

"Ah, excuse me. Could I ask you a question?"

* * *

Yukimura Sanada scanned the field as he planned the next move, not that he had much of a choice. His small forces were on the verge of exhaustion and he had to retreat. The intel Kunoichi had gathered seemed to be wrong as a very small army was the one that was beating him, which was impossible but at the same time, it wasn't. Several of their men fell, and had to escape, leaving Yukimura with the painful decision to flee as well.

The retreat point wasn't far, it was at the northern garrison, if he hurried, he'd reach it in 15 minutes or so by foot. But his brown horse Orfevre was faster than the wind to him, and together, they'd reach it in 5 at most. Perhaps 4 if they hurried or maybe 3 if it weren't from the blow to the back he received that threw him off that same Orfevre.

Same reflexes as ever, Yukimura sprang up pointing his spear at the enemy that had struck him from behind, it seemed to be a woman and she wanted to say something. However, he had no need for words, and he thrust his spear at her, only to be blocked in turn, and they engaged in battle.

He swung his spear and she responded with one of her twin blades, both weapons clashing that made the woman lose her grip. Yukimura charged forward, but she hit him in that open space he had accidentally left with the blunt blade in the chest, stopping him as he lost his breath. Next thing, he saw his world move around, the ground turning blue as he felt something hard hitting his back, or rather, his entire body falling down to the ground by a good kick that knocked him off his feet. Confused and breathless, Yukimura lay still, the hit to his chest being the most severe as he breathed sharply, trying to not do it deeply or it would hurt.

It was his loss.

He looked to his side, ready to be struck down, not a particularly good way to go as the battle was small and he had bigger plans. However, the woman knelt down and put her weapons on the ground. She offered him a hand and with a lot of effort, managed to make Yukimura sit, as he clutched to his side, completely disoriented. Perhaps he had hit badly his head, he thought as focusing on one point showed him multiple copies of the same thing. He touched his head, no blood. At least, he was thick-headed and had suffered no other injury.

The woman said something, not that he paid attention, as he was more curious when she dug something from the small bag she was carrying on her side. Yukimura thought she was going to take out a dagger, and furrowed his brow (some pain included) because if she wanted to finish him, she could use the sword she had to her side. After all, if he was in the same situation, he would use his spear, he didn't have to carry a dagger with him as well and-

"Ah, excuse me. Could I ask you a question?"

She snapped him out of his thoughts and when he finally came back to reality, he found her mere inches away from him, blue eyes almost piercing through his face, holding what seemed to be a thick book and something to write.

"Huh?" he blabbed, as he blinked.

The woman looked surprised for a second, then offered him a bright smile. "I'm sorry. What is your name?"

"Sa-sanada Yukimura…" he replied, more an automatic reply to the question than a conscious thought.

"Nice to meet you, Sanada Yukimura-san." Her bright smile directed at him made him believe he was missing something, as she hurried to write down, stopping few seconds to stare at him, too intently to him, and she resumed writing.

"What are you-"

"Hey, here's another one!" A female voice from afar interrupted Yukimura, heavy Kansai dialect that Yukimura recognized, that one of the mysterious woman Okuni he had seen sometimes in the battlefield.

"I'm coming!" The one in front of Yukimura, with that odd-looking book and that even weirder whatever she was doing, replied.

The woman stood up and bowed, her long brown hair in a ponytail becoming a mess once she was done. "Thank you, Sanada Yukimura-san. I'll be seeing you later."

Before Yukimura could even ask what was going on or who she was or what the hell had just happened, the mysterious woman in purple armor was darting to where Okuni was, as she said "Excuse me! Can I ask you a question?", book in hand.

* * *

Yukimura gripped tightly his spear as he went forward, today he couldn't lose. He normally didn't like losing but this time the commander was his brother, so he certainly had to do a great job and stop the enemy. His enemy was one he had heard rumors about, Sakaki Kojiro, famed for dyeing the battlefield red, as his swordplay was among the best in the land.

The make-up he wore didn't unnerve him, though the almost gleeful smile behind that façade told Yukimura this was a man that enjoyed killing more than anything in this world. And even if Yukimura didn't fear death, he certainly couldn't let him pass, for Nobuyuki's life would be in danger. He pointed his spear at Kojiro's chest, ready to strike the moment he saw his enemy move and-

"I will cut you beautifully," Kojiro said as he lunged forward, Yukimura responding to the attack.

Then a blade got in between, making the three people fall down, though one was faster than him or than Kojiro.

"No killing! I've told you many times, Kojiro-san!"

"But how can I not-"

It was the woman from before, Yukimura recognized the back of her outfit, quite colorful and noticeable for a battlefield he thought.

"Kojiro-san!"

And to Yukimura's surprise, Kojiro decided to obey and not cut him, instead following the order to capture the garrison to the south with strict orders of not slaying anyone, just disarming. By the time the deadly Kojiro had disappeared from sight, Yukimura was already on his feet, spear in hand, pointed at the woman, who had for some asinine reason left her back wide open to any attack. However, Yukimura wasn't the kind of man who hit someone from behind, to her luck.

"You shouldn't give your back to the enemy, you could be attacked from-"

"Ah, um," she pondered for a second, "Sanada Yukimura-san, right?" She smiled, and Yukimura lowered his weapon as he replied with a confused "Huh, um, yes…"  
"We see each other again in the battlefield, are we-Ngggh!"

As she stood there, Yukimura hit her with the blunt side of his spear on her shoulder, and the woman squeaked. "Hey what is the meaning of this?!" she said, as she held her shoulder, wincing in pain as she gave Yukimura an annoyed look.

Yukimura had readied his spear but as soon as he charged, he felt that familiar sensation of ground turning into the sky as he was knocked again from his feet, the woman having managed to sidestep and kick him of balance. He should keep an eye on her legs.

Perhaps this blunder should have given him an idea of the outcome of their battle, with the woman somehow winning against him, and he was forced to retreat. She kicked deceptively hard as his leg and his chin that was finished by that deadly backwards cartwheel could attest. Ok, he definitely needed to keep an eye on her feet. But before he could even chide her for being distracted in battle, despite this being his loss, she had bolted on her own to meet the next general, and Yukimura could only leave the battlefield with concerns of his brother's safety in the battle.

* * *

Yukimura sighed and sat on the veranda, looking absent-minded at the trees in his father's garden, standing proud and tall unlike Yukimura. He was getting rusty and losing his focus if someone who gave his back to him and argued with an ally was the same person who beat him in a match. He breathed deeply and groaned, his chin still in pain until he felt something cool on his head as his brother sat beside him. A small pouch filled with ice was what rested on his head, and Yukimura took it and pressing it against his face, coolness feeling refreshing and maybe with enough time, his chin would be so numb the pain would go away.

Yukimura turned to thank his brother, only to find that Nobuyuki was holding a similar pouch, against the left side of his face.

"Brother, what happened to you?"

"I suppose that woman, Hanamura, got you too…" Nobuyuki said, letting out a sigh.

"Who?"

"Hanamura Rinne, I think it's her name," Nobuyuki replied but since Yukimura stared blankly at him, his brother shook his head. "Blue eyes, brown hair, purple dress, she carries a book."

"Ah." So that was her name. "I met her before. She fought me and…"

"…Asked if she could make you some questions," Nobuyuki added, as Yukimura nodded, surprised that his brother knew what the woman had done. "From what I gathered, it seems she asked everyone in our army the same thing."

"She has a notebook and writes down names, Brother."

Nobuyuki stared at their father's pride, the plum tree in the middle of the garden. He looked as calm as ever, slightly worried, but surprisingly amusing as he held the ice pack against his skin. "They say she's in the Tokugawa's Army, and whatever she's doing is an order from Ieyasu. Be on your guard when you meet her. We don't know what they are up to."

* * *

Whatever Yukimura had done to anger the heavens and cause him to be on the losing side, again, was beyond him. He found himself surrounded by the Hojo army, with perhaps every single general after his head. He was tired, frustrated and in a dire situation, and he was forced to flee once more. Except he couldn't, as he had to fend against Kai and Fuma Kotaro's assault. What a terrible day, he thought.

Still, he was prepared to fight till the bitter end, and clung to his spear as he withstood the attack from the two warriors in front of him until a flying umbrella hit Kai in the back and a cannon ball made one of the ninja clones disappear. Next thing Yukimura knew was that Okuni and Ishikawa Goemon, the greatest thief of the land (according to Goemon himself anyway) arrived to his aid.

"It seems we're on time~"

"O-o-o-kuni-san, let's see if we can find something in the garrison north after we are done with these two!"

Yukimura stood there, dumbfounded, as he saw the two people. They weren't, were they? Such was his shock, as he certainly expected to be on the receiving end of another encounter with the girl with the book and her friends. It seemed like a trap, it had to be a trap. But as he pondered what was going on, Kai and Kotaro were defeated and Goemon was already running for some treasure he smelled from afar.

Yukimura blinked and managed to react, "Ah, excuse me!" He started to talk like her, Yukimura shook fiercely his head. "My apologies, uh, why are you here?"

Okuni, who was on her way to go after Goemon, turned around. "Why are you so surprised? That girl's said she was going to help you. So here we are."

And before Yukimura could even say anything at all, as he simply stared confused at Okuni because what the hell was happening, the dancer had already disappeared.

* * *

"So Hanamura helped you, Yukimura," Nobuyuki asked as he sat again in the veranda, in a tone that Yukimura couldn't decipher.

"Yes, Okuni and Goemon helped me fight the Hojo army. I didn't see her close, but she went after their leader, Ujiyasu."

Nobuyuki frowned, deep in thought that made Yukimura question if he had said something that hadupset him. "Is something the matter?"

"I wonder what- No, forget about it, Yukimura," Nobuyuki replied though that concerned look didn't disappear. "Just be careful if she's around."

* * *

Today's enemy could be tomorrow's friend. That was what best described Rinne.

And both Sanada brothers were equally surprised to find the small force under her name fighting for the Sanada army. And when they saw Rinne fighting the same Ieyasu Tokugawa and forcing him to retreat, they couldn't help but look at each other, confused, only able to shrug because whatever was happening was perhaps a bizarre dream. Ieyasu had attacked Yukimura, and naturally Nobuyuki had come to aid him, which prompted Tadakatsu's intervention. When everything seemed lost, she had suddenly appeared and both brothers had expected to be hit in their faces once more (and Yukimura, be kicked to the ground). So the shock on their faces was natural when they saw her raising her blade against Ieyasu, and things stopped making sense.

Next, Yukimura was being tended by her for a cut he had received on his hand, and Rinne had wrapped a handkerchief to stop the bleeding. If Nobuyuki hadn't been so flabbergasted, he would have naturally protested to the first aid, though he certainly made a comment about it.

"What is it that you intend to do?" he had asked as Rinne finished bandaging Yukimura's hand.

She only cocked her head to her side and looked at Nobuyuki curiously, as if she hadn't understood the question.

"Tokugawa Ieyasu is your lord, isn't it? Then why did you side with us?"

"Well, it is true that he asked me to do this but, he isn't really my lord," she replied.

Nobuyuki didn't say anything and merely stared at her, as if he tried to read her mind. However, Yukimura bowed and thanked her for the bandage and the aid.

"Hanamura-dono, if I may, why are you writing things down?" Yukimura asked.

Rinne blinked for a moment and took out her book and handed it to Yukimura. "Oh, Ieyasu asked me to record the lives of the warriors of the era."

Yukimura flipped around the pages, Nobuyuki came close to see what was written too, though the contrast between the confused but interested eyes of Yukimura and the quizzical stare of Nobuyuki was obvious.

The book was thick and had several blank pages, with some in between that only had names written. A few more had more lines, things like day of birth and their crest emblem (if they had one), and Yukimura noticed how somber Nobuyuki's eyes grew when they passed the pages. However, Nobuyuki had said nothing when he handed it back. That said, it was as if Rinne had sensed something too, for she had stared at Nobuyuki for a long time, caution written all over her face, reminiscing at times a child that was about to be scolded for something.

* * *

"The book is dangerous, Yukimura," Nobuyuki had said, once the group had left, his brother never lifting his eyes off her back, as if Rinne would do something if left unattended.

"What do you mean, Brother?" Yukimura asked, a little surprised by the grave tone his brother had used.

"It is meant to record all of our information. If it includes our affiliation, it is meant to be as the ultimate intelligence information. Ieyasu Tokugawa has her acting as his spy all over the land by means of that. Whoever gets his hands on the book will surely have massive knowledge on every warrior."

"I thought the book is being written, it didn't seem to have much information."

"For now…" Nobuyuki sighed as he rested his face on his hand. "But depending on how many talk, that will be the information she has. It can reach to a point where she has enough-"

A loud laugh was heard behind the siblings. Yukimura and Nobuyuki turned and met the amused face of their father, Sanada Masayuki.

"Nobuyuki, Yukimura, are you too still wondering about today's battle?"

"Father, I hadn't realized you were here," Nobuyuki replied, trying to hide the surprise in his words as he was usually good at sensing his father's presence.

"What do you mean, Father?" Yukimura added, as he noticed that it was as if Masayuki had been there for a long time and for some reason that Yukimura couldn't understand, the expression of his father was the total opposite of Nobuyuki's (not to mention a sly grin of 'I got you, Nobuyuki). While Yukimura couldn't decide what the real issue was related to this Hanamura person, it seemed his brother considered her an enemy.

"Yukimura, what do you make of this woman you were talking about?" Masayuk asked, startling the younger sibling, as he expected his brother to be asked first.

"Um, I believe Hanamura-dono is perhaps… odd," Yukimura said, as he went deep in thought. "She asks allies and enemies the same questions, even in the middle of battle. She is also unreliable, as she gives her back to the enemy, when she could be stabbed from behind. But she seems to be honest, at least I didn't think she had any other intention…"

Masayuki merely looked at Yukimura with a knowing smile, the kind he recalled his father had when he clearly knew something that the others didn't. That one of a sly cat, as he had once put it. Then his father turned to Nobuyuki. "And you, Nobuyuki?"

"I can't help but feel that this woman has something to hide. Such intel could prove most dangerous to all clans except the one she gives the book to. If you were to sell such information to anyone, you could get lords do whatever you want, just for that book."

Masayuki laughed again, interrupting Nobuyuki. The older Sanada sibling looked confused at his father, as if he had said something hilarious, and not quite serious as Nobuyuki obviously felt.

"I am pleased to know you inherited my wits, Nobuyuki," Masayuki said as he patted Nobuyuki's shoulder. "But perhaps you need to be less pessimistic and hone your judging skills."

"Father, what do you-?" Both siblings said, neither understanding the laughter.

"I suppose you will be surprised then, to hear that I've decided to join the cause of Hanamura Rinne."

And with those words, color faded from Nobuyuki's face while Yukimura stared in shock at their father.

* * *

"Yukimura, you are the less… judging of the two. Try talking to her and decide what you think."

The words his father later told him resounded in Yukimura's head, as he found himself fighting Rinne's army, being reinforcements from the Takeda. He had to fend off Rinne's attacks, and the now very common kick to the face. It had been perhaps the third time, and by now he was also familiar with greeting the ground with his back. This time, it was entirely his fault, for zoning out and not paying attention, having decided it was a good idea to reminisce his fathers' words and Nobuyuki's caution instead of facing the eyes of the enemy.

It wasn't.

And while Rinne got up and rushed to prevent soldiers from escaping, calling their names loud as she ran, Yukimura stood there, as he had resolved to not leave the battlefield. Something told him he had to stay, even if he looked slightly dumb for holding his spear and rubbing his face.

He was still out of it, until he heard a familiar laugh, and turned to meet Okuni's umbrella pointed at him. However, since he was out of combat, she didn't attack.

"Okuni-dono, I have a question for you. What is Hanamura-dono doing with that book?"

Okuni looked at him curious and smiled, placing her umbrella over her shoulder, with that look of someone that knows more. "I wonder what she is doing~" Okuni began. "Maybe you should try asking her."

Yukimura frowned. That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

But Okuni laughed and in an instant disappeared.

* * *

Takeda Katsuyori had been defeated and escorted outside the battlefield before Rinne could even try to stop him or the retainers, just as Yukimura arrived to his lord's former garrison.

"How am I supposed to fill this if they run away?" she grumbled to herself, after sighing loudly, staring at the book she carried. "They also left before I-"

Yukimura's steps broke her out of her reminiscing, and she turned, surprised to see Yukimura.

"Ah, Sanada Yukimura-san. I thought you had left the battlefield already…"

"I thought it would be important to see how the battle unfolded, Hanamura-do-huh?" Yukimura spoke calmly until he felt a hand on his cheek, the same one that had been struck with her boot, as he felt a mix of pain and embarrassment as how she blatantly ignored his personal space.

But before he could say anything, Rinne bowed apologizing and fished around her bag.

"I-I didn't mean to, s-sorry," she said as she took some cream, green and not particularly aesthetically pleasing. "Let me…"

And before Yukimura could even say anything, Rinne rubbed the mysterious cream on his cheek as Yukimura flustered a little. It was true it hurt but it wasn't something that would kill him and with some ice he'd eventually get better. Yet Rinne kept on rubbing, and soon Yukimura's face was partially covered with green and he smelled of a mix of herbs he couldn't even recognize.

"Don't wash it off the entire day, it should stop the swelling and the pain will subside as the day goes."

"Thank you, Hanamura-dono," Yukimura replied. Then, as if he saw his chance, as no other retainers were around to distract her, he added, "Hanamura-dono, why are you writing that book?"

The question caught her off guard, as she blinked for a few seconds, staring at Yukimura and then she said, "Well, you can say Ieyasu told me to do so but…." She turned to see the sky, and Yukimura looked at it as well, not sure if he was supposed to see something. "In a matter of years we will all die and maybe leave nothing behind. It's a little sad, don't you think? But if you were to record about those who have lived, maybe people in the future will learn of us."

Yukimura fell silent.

"I like history. But it's very hard to know what happened if there are no records of those who lived. I want to help, even just a little."

"Even if Tokugawa Ieyasu might use you as intel?"

Her blue eyes stared at Yukimura for seconds, before she broke out laughing, so much that it startled some birds off their trees and Yukimura frowned, not knowing what was so funny about his very serious statement.

"So that was why your brother was glaring me at?" She said, trying to suppress a giggle, and failing, needing to bite her lip and stop that wide grin that made Yukimura more confused.

"I'm afraid I don't follow…"

Rinne took a deep breath, smile a mix of an attempt to not smile and failure to not do so. "Well, he asked me to do that but it's not like I go and report to him what I find or write. It's not really much of an intel if the one asking for the service doesn't get the info, right?"

Yukimura nodded, more out of a reflex, as he said pensive, "I suppose so."

"I won't lie, his idea was very cool, but I am not doing this for him. So…" Rinne moved closer, face mere inches away from his as she pinched Yukimura's nose slightly and with a smile that Yukimura didn't know why but made his cheeks feel on fire, she added, "Don't worry, I won't tell your secrets to anyone."

And just like that, she left, as Yukimura held his injured cheek, watching silently as she disappeared in the field.

* * *

Perhaps being always on the losing end made victory sweeter, as he had just launched his nemesis, okay, maybe not nemesis, maybe rival, or whatever they were. In any case, he smiled proudly as he looked at Rinne's figure on the ground. He had certainly worked twice as hard to beat her for a while now, and the sound of her saying she gave up was like music from heaven. After all, for once he hadn't ended up with a kick to the face and victory was the greatest pleasure or something.

He helped her, however, sit and she held her right side, because that well done hit there had been the finishing move.

"You hit, nghh, very hard…" She heaved, groaning as unsightly as possible.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded with difficulty. Yukimura waited for her to take out her book and ask him something. But she didn't. Instead, she stood up with difficulty and with a bow that almost made her fall again, she said, "Thank you for the match. Congratulations."

And for some reason, Yukimura was very disappointed.

* * *

When your greatest nemesis, enemy, rival or whatever the hell, is kicking you every time you meet, victory tastes great. But when they slowly seem to take beatings and you seem to win perhaps too easily, then victory becomes bitter. And now they were even in the matches won and lost, but Yukimura wasn't certainly happy about the outcome. Sure, his (and Nobuyuki's too) defeats had been avenged, but something didn't feel right about this.

There was a something that Rinne was lacking, perhaps seemingly more distracted than usual, and with slower, duller moves, so any victory was coming from a mile away. Of course, this would upset Yukimura, as he welcomed a good match every now and then, and he felt bitter that the fated meetings that got his blood pumped seemed to end up disastrously. True, the second fight had ended up with him accidentally hitting her in the face, and he felt bad about it, but at the same time, it was an easy-to-avoid hit. And the third was so terrible Yukimura felt guilty even for remembering it. Nobuyuki had tried to soften displeasure by looking at the bright side, though there was none, for Yukimura battle was pretty much everything and a terrible battle was the greatest disgrace.

Of course he had been the winner, he had to feel happy about his might, but he was strangely starting to wonder if what he felt would be similar to what Takeda Shingen would feel from a lousy performance of Uesugi Kenshin.

Hence, Yukimura pranced around the Castle in Ueda, not being able to focus completely because he couldn't. And with Nobuyuki previously warning him to cut off contact with Rinne, unless it was strictly necessary, for caution and things Nobuyuki only understood, Yukimura couldn't certainly admit that he had tried looking for her after battle to at least ask her what had happened. It was a strange reversal, where he was the one asking, somehow, and not getting answers. Perhaps this was how she felt when he didn't answer hers.

He stopped by the veranda, prideful trees standing tall except for one and when Yukimura looked closely, he gapped in shock to see the plum tree, his father's pride and joy, the one tree that was the most beautiful (supposedly, Yukimura didn't know anything about gardening or beauty ranks of trees), reduced to a pathetic pile of tiny branches and something that vaguely looked like an attempted drawing of his of a tree.

He stood there, speechless, and perhaps with the dumbest face he had ever made, as a small laugh could be heard and Nobuyuki pat his shoulder.

"Brother, how…?"

Nobuyuki merely smiled and looked at the tree.

"Someone took out her frustrations at our father's tree."

"Who dare do this? I will find them and ask for compensation for this disgrace."

"Perhaps that is a bad idea, I've heard your friend Hanamura-dono is always low on money."

As if Nobuyuki had said some magic words, Yukimura immediately turned to him, furrowing his brow and looking to his brother with a mix of unusual interest and confusion. "I don't follow."

Nobuyuki smiled and looked at the plum tree. "She was here a few hours ago and took out her frustration at our Father's pride. I offered to listen to what she had to say."

Yukimura's eyes widened, as he rushed to ask, "She was here? Was she in trouble, Brother? What did you talk about?"

"About this and that," Nobuyuki replied, with a cryptic smile that didn't give out a lot of information but clearly let him now Nobuyuki wasn't talking. "If you want to know, you should ask her."

Everyone was telling him that always. However, Yukimura stared at Nobuyuki. "I thought you didn't want me to interact with her…"

Nobuyuki let out a sigh. "You did so before, just like you used to sneak out the castle. And perhaps I might have understood her better after our talk." At Yukimura's squinting eyes, as the younger brother was absolutely surprised his brother had changed strongly in opinion, Nobuyuki added, "And Father let me in a little thing or two. And…" Nobuyuki ruffled Yukimura's hair. "You never give up once you are interested in something or _someone_."

* * *

Yukimura was walking down the town, musing over Nobuyuki's words. His brother was the smarter of the two, though Yukimura thought he was dumb, so a comparison like that didn't make his brother's intellect seem as remarkable as it really was. As usual, he wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings, too focused on his thoughts, as his brother certainly had a good reason for his surprisingly bright and avid encouragement for him to meet Rinne and-

Speaking of the devil.

Yukimura lifted his eyes, as if a little radar had set off and he saw Rinne entering a small shop, one that sold accessories for women that Kai and Kunoichi really seemed fond of. Yukimura wasn't very sure why they were so appealing and hesitated to advance. He was going inside by himself and he didn't want to seem as if he was following Rinne, he was just merely curious. On second thought, maybe he should go inside and see what was happening, if a warrior like Rinne got interested in hair decorations and accessories (not that he had missed the necklace and the flowery gloves she had) he should get to learn more about-

The sound of a man crying broke his monologue.

Yukimura turned, and like many of the passers-by, his eyes focused on the figure of a warrior, one lanky and seemingly uninteresting, perhaps a new recruit in an army and a face Yukimura didn't recognize. However, what was more interesting, and what had made several people get out of the other stores, was the loud cry for mercy, as he begged the pharmacist to help him. People whispered, Yukimura couldn't see quite well, but the pharmacist simply shook his head, refusing to say much, especially after such conundrum and rushed inside his store.

The crowd gathered grew bigger, and Yukimura was pushed back, though he could swear he saw part of Rinne's hair diving inside it. He tried to call to her, but just as he did, the circle of people disbanded, and he was pushed further. When he managed to get to the scene of the drama, neither the pharmacist nor the soldier nor Rinne were anywhere around.

Yukimura shook his head, perhaps he was imagining things and it was best if he got to eat something. He had heard people started hallucinating if they were starving, and even though he was properly fed, maybe it was the case.

So he decided to walk to the street where all restaurants were found, and to his surprise, he saw Rinne standing in front of a stall selling Takoyaki.

It was perfectly normal if he walked there and bought something, or so he hoped. Just waltz and make conversation, and then ask if she was ok. A perfect plan. As Rinne ordered, her attention was caught by something, this was Yukimura's chance to start conversation and-

Just as he got close, Rinne grabbed the Takoyaki box and ran somewhere, leaving Yukimura confused and unable to even do a thing. However, he quickly recovered and saw her talking to children, so maybe he still had a chance. He ordered and as he waited, he made his revised plan. He could go to where she and the children were, and share the Takoyaki and then talk to her. Perfect. And he was very pleased with his idea, and grabbed the box happily, except when he turned, the children were there but Rinne was gone.

* * *

Takoyaki was something Yukimura liked, simple man simple tastes, though this one was particularly bitter and dry, as his plan had not gone as expected. As he put one in his mouth, he wondered how he could have missed her twice in a row and if he had the lousiest pursuit skills. He didn't really notice where he was walking, as long as it was a straight line and he didn't hit other people, it was fine. He took a second, munching while not energetic was not exactly a pleasant sensation, yet he almost choked when he finally looked up at the road.

"Out of money again…" Rinne sighed as she hit her head repeatedly, staring perhaps too deeply that she'd make a hole on the announcement that said "All you can eat". "I thought I was going to eat but… And I can't ask brother for money, I'm an adult…. Ugh, what should I do?"

This time, Yukimura rushed and before he could even blink, he had already greeted her.

"Ah, Yukimura, nice to meet you here," she said, with a smile that seemed to falter. Then her eyes lowered, to the remaining Takoyaki.

Yukimura followed her eyes, and then, in realization that his plan might still work out, he asked, "Hanamura-dono, would you like some?" As he offered them, a big growl interrupted him and suddenly, Rinne's face flushed bright red, freezing her on the spot.

Yukimura tilted his head, as she avoided his gaze, which he didn't really understand, though he did make sure to show his intent clear as he pushed the box towards her. After an unusual moment of awkward silence, she took one happily, and ate it in an instant, face still red but with the widest grin he had seen her make in a while. He let her eat the remainder ones, and she was ecstatic (Even though he didn't think it had tasted so great when he ate it). As she stuffed herself, Yukimura asked her if she was alright, but her reply was muffled by the food in her mouth.

"I heard you talked with my brother," Yukimura tried again, once the box was empty.

"Ah… Yeah, I'm sorry about the plum tree," Rinne said, as she bowed to Yukimura. "I wasn't feeling so well and…"

"Are you alright?"

"I felt better after talking to your brother, he gave me a lot of advice." She smiled brightly, which made Yukimura happy. After all, Nobuyuki was the person to go when someone needed to be listened, it was just regrettable that he had missed her back then. However…

"You still seem down, though."

Rinne blinked as she stared at him, surprise too apparent, as if she hadn't actually expected a moment of brilliant insightful observations of Yukimura. Actually, even he was surprised, but at her surprise, as he was perfectly capable of noticing the finer details _sometimes_.

However, he made no mention of it and he instead offered a kind pat on her shoulder, as he said, "If you'd like so, we could talk about it while we eat. You seemed interested in this restaurant and I've heard it's easier to talk in a relaxing atmosphere." Not that he actually knew what it felt, as he had a hard time relaxing and he actually rarely talked about himself.

And while he was quite enthusiastic about the idea, perhaps too happy to be of help to her, Rinne seemed to avoid his gaze and rubbed her arm nervously, crushing any hope Yukimura had.

"I-I can't…" And just like that his cheerful expression faded as he wondered if he had said something wrong or if she certainly didn't want to talk to him. Yukimura immediately thought that perhaps he didn't seem as trustworthy or reliable as a listener as his brother, but he could certainly be good at listening and he definitely wanted to help her. So being shot down like that hit him, hard. And not, it wasn't as if some divine realization over feelings had hit him, from the overwhelming sadness from that rejection, because far before anyone, Sanada Yukimura had been dead sure of that single emotion, way before his father or his brother. He li-

Rinne shook her head furiously, as she said, "It's not like that, uh, I'd love to eat with you but…" She let out a loud weary sigh. "I don't have enough money."

Yukimura stared at her, unable to say something other than a flat "Ah," though then his brain made the connection and he actually took her hand and brought her inside, boldest moves had to matter at the right time, as he asked for a table for two while saying that he would pay for her meal.

And when she protested, he simply said she could fight him again once she was fighting and feeling better, because there was nothing he'd love more than to settle their rivalry square with both of them at their prime, which made Rinne's smile darken a little, as if she had heard something she might not like.

That said, whatever that displeased her at that moment was promptly forgotten as Rinne ordered several dishes and ate with an amazing speed that startled Yukimura, who ate like a normal person. And his attempts to talk were thwarted, as Rinne was busier emptying the plates than trying to say anything. It was on the third full course, (while Yukimura was still stuck at his second, having a little difficulty to finish it even if he had only 2 Takoyaki) though, that Rinne finally took her time to eat and she said she had been feeling terrible for her combat progress, among other things. (She had actually apologized for the battle that should never be brought up again, and Yukimura reassured her she could later recover from that by having a proper match with him)

It wasn't as if Yukimura wasn't interested in what she had to say or that he wasn't empathizing with her or her struggles, her now infamous fame of being terrible with money, periods of minor starvation and her frustrations on her lack of progress, both in battle and in her own goal. However, Yukimura found he didn't have something good to say, words had never been his forte and he worried too much about upsetting her by saying the wrong thing, so he could only pat her gently and tell her she should work on one thing at a time, and she should first solve her health problems. That and

"I could help you train. I rarely see you around here and if we trained together, we'd be seeing each other a lot more often." A line that he somehow had managed to say, but Rinne then replied perhaps with a hint of dejection of "Oh, yeah… fight." Perhaps she thought he simply wanted another punching bag, but that thought couldn't be way more wrong as Yukimura genuinely meant whatever he said, and he _really_ meant _that_.

The final thing he had offered as advice was not fretting a lot on money.

"A warrior doesn't have a lot of use for money, Hanamura-dono, when our lives can end in the blink of an eye. You should focus on strengthening yourself."

"Is that why you always rush in battle?"

"Yes. A warrior's life is battle. I do not fear death and don't mind if I die in the battlefield."

And while Rinne's face darkened, serious and judging expression reflected in her blue eyes, she said nothing and finished her meal, then thanked him for inviting her and asked if she could meet him later in the week.

* * *

"Um, Hanamura-dono…" Yukimura asked, after clearing his throat and trying hard to not move.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

He felt her hands around his neck, pushing to the side his scarf and then something cold was slipped in between his skin and his clothes. He then felt her hands tapping on his knee plate, and suddenly, something hard was pressing against his knee, held on somehow in place by the armor.

"Since you said you don't mind in the battlefield and you are a little reckless…" Rinne tapped on his side, and before Yukimura could protest, she snuck something in between the layers of armor. "I decided I'd make sure you didn't get hurt!"

"What do you mean, Hanamura-dono?" Yukimura said, hesitating a little to say "Please, don't be so close", not that he was upset about it but it wasn't exactly not awkward to him to be almost felt up by her.

"Hold your hands to your chest, Yukimura," Rinne said, not answering his question, so Yukimura sighed and obeyed. Then, to his surprise Rinne put on his hands a lot of small trinkets of different colors and sizes, some elegant, others simpler. _Omamori_, amulets for protection and fortune.

She took a green one, that Yukimura read it was for safety, and she tucked it in between his arm plate. She took another, far more fancy looking than the previous one, which was meant for good luck, and she stuck it below his elbow. Next was a traffic safety one that went to Yukimura's chest, and as she got too close to him, Yukimura unintentionally stepped back and his entire body jingled.

"Don't move or they'll fall!" Rinne chided him as she took a gold one, for money. "Oh, this one is for me," she said and she put it in her bag. Next, she picked one for guarding against evil and she placed it somewhere in Yukimura's back.

"Um, why did you get so different charms…?"

"Well, the temple ran out of the protective ones, but I think getting you the health and fortune ones works too."

"Um, what?"

Rinne stood in front of him as she pointed her finger at his face, perhaps too close that Yukimura almost moved. "You will have to wear them in battle and you'll be safe."

"I think I will make a sound every time I take a step… The enemy will notice me and-"

Rinne smiled widely, "I know~" she said triumphantly. "That's why you'll have to stay close to me. Oh, and you can't let them fall. If you do, I'll punish you. I still haven't thought about what it is, but maybe you'll have to get me something or do something for me."

Yukimura smiled bitterly as his face flushed a little. He'd have to work very hard to not drop one, as he felt some already hanging loosely on his armor. Then, as if it was guided by fate, he noticed a small pink charm, safe delivery for pregnant women, the same charm Rinne picked and was being stuffed on his glove.

Then, something clicked on his brain, yes, now everything made sense. Why Rinne was so tired and hungry, why she felt frustrated and was feeling ill. Why her performance in battle had gotten lousy in the past few weeks.

"Congratulations on your baby, Hanamura-dono," Yukimura said with a warm smile, making Rinne look up at him, confused. "I think you forgot your other charm, it's important you keep it."

"What, this one?" She held the pink charm.

He nodded and then he frowned. "But you should be more careful or avoid the battlefield, for your safety and the baby's."

Rinne put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "I'm not pregnant."

Yukimura burrowed his brow, he didn't mean to insult her, though perhaps if she, a young and single woman got accidentally pregnant, maybe others would judge her and she'd try to deny it. "It's alright if you are expecting a child, but if you don't want me to comment on it, I won't." And to try to comfort her, he offered a considerate smile.

One that turned wider as she pulled his lips as she said, "I am not pregnant. I don't even have a boyfriend." Then, she crossed her arms. "I've never been with anyone, if you really want to be sure."

"…"

"…"

"Why did you buy it then?"

"It's for you, Yukimura," Rinne huffed and stuck again the charm on his glove.

"But I can't have a baby nor do I have a pregnant wife to give it to."

"It's for safety, I'm sure the gods will agree to look out for you, even if it's for safe delivery."

"But," Yukimura started though Rinne pressed her finger on his lips.

"You have to take care of yourself. Hmmmph, Oh I know, if you drop them, you'll have to take me on a date to wherever I want to go." She ended with a smile, and Yukimura wondered how angry Rinne would get if he dropped all the charms at once, not that he did.

* * *

His arrival to Ueda castle was much later than expected, so much that Nobuyuki was already waiting outside and gave Yukimura a questioning look, as the young warrior seemed to have difficulties walking, with strange jingling strides. He had never realized how uneven the terrain in Ueda was until he tried to walk up the hill with at least 20 charms that clung loosely on him.

"It's very late, Yukimura, what took you so long?"

Yukimura bowed in respect, while holding and pressing his armor against his skin as hard as he could, praying none of the charms would fall as they all chimed in complete disunion. "I apologize, Brother. It is difficult to walk without dropping these charms."

Nobuyuki raised an eyebrow as he took one that was more outside than inside Yukimura's clothes. "Traveler's safety…" he read, giving Yukimura another harsh look. "Are you planning to go on a trip, Yukimura?"

"No, Brother. Hanamura-dono got many charms and instructed me to wear them. She said it was for my safety in battle and that I shouldn't drop them. But they are small and they slip through my clothes and armor, and without any pockets or strings to attach them, it's hard to keep them in place."

Nobuyuki's frown softened and then turned into a laugh, which made Yukimura wonder if he had said something strange. He had never thought how important it was that he had at least a pocket to put all the charms, not that they'd fit. On second thought, he had an idea of where he could put them, but that would have been too embarrassing for Rinne to do.

After all, his white pants were secured at his shins but then the charms would stab his thighs as he ran or moved.

"Maybe if you remove them for now and sew them to your armor once you are in your room, you won't drop them."

"I don't think I should remove them, though Hanamura-dono didn't specify when I could…" Yukimura replied, deep in thought as he wondered how he'd be able to even do his normal training with the charms. He couldn't wear them in the bath either and he would only be able to carry as many as he could in-

Nobuyuki placed a hand on his back. "I don't think Hanamura-dono worries about that."

"She got me several charms, so I believe she is very worried. I tried my best to not drop them but it now seems very difficult to do my normal activities while carrying this many charms."

Nobuyuki shook his head, wearing that smile that always hinted he knew something else that Yukimura didn't. "What she worries about is your safety. As long as you take care of yourself in battle, she won't mind if you keep the charms in your room. If you want to obey her orders, just bring one with you when you fight."

Yukimura nodded, it seemed to make sense. Though he had to admit that when she had said he should stick close to her and the punishment, not bringing all charms torn him a little.

"Though, I wonder what else she told you that you worked very hard to keep the charms on your person," wondered Nobuyuki, as he pressed a finger to his chin and before he could even finish his thought, Yukimura had already gone inside, making his older brother smirk.

* * *

Yukimura stared at the red charm he was holding, moonlight shining on it as he struggled to sleep, unable to wipe that small grin. After all, he had been given several charms and he liked to think that they were all her wishes for him. He had decided he'd attach only one and apologize when he met her in battle, hoping she would recover as well so that they could have a worthy match. Though he also was aware that meeting her only in the battlefield was a little lonely… He couldn't really speak with her, as in topics no matter how vague or random they were. Of course, they could speak what could only be conveyed through swords, but he had long realized he liked to talk to her even if he couldn't really contribute to conversation and merely listened.

And of course, part of him hoped for more as in maybe not being only sparring partners. However there was something that perhaps was needed and he'd have to work hard for it. So, he spent his entire night thinking about it, so invested into planning that he was surprised to see the moon's rays change into sun ones. Then, the next thing he did was to meet his friend Kanetsugu, who had been around in Ueda for a few days on a mission from the Uesugi. And while he didn't have to explain much, Kanetsugu's eyes lit up as Yukimura's request was one that he'd agree to help as it was overflowing on that which his lady loved to preach.

* * *

Yukimura sat in front of the tree, deep in thought and half praying that the rumors were true and she was nearby. Then he heard Kanetsugu's not so subtle high voice, though with his eyes closed he couldn't see how Rinne had jumped the moment she had been seen looking at Yukimura from afar.

"Yukimura and I are comrades bound by righteousness. You want to know what kind of man he is? I'll show you!"

"Wh-what are you doing with that ro-"

Yukimura hadn't expected it, but he moved without thinking, skewering all the leaves that had fallen from the tree. He could hear from afar a surprised gasp from Rinne while Kanetsugu calmly explained how Yukimura had such a fearful concentration but he was also airheaded.

Next thing, Yukimura walked to them, and smiled widely at Rinne as he said, "I'm very happy to meet you. What are you talking about?" And in fact, it was no lie, he was in the dark as he had only requested Kanetsugu to help him figure out what kind of men Rinne liked, so the stone and the airhead (and the theatricality of Kanetsugu) were above him.

And he had not certainly expected Rinne's flat and blunt "About how you are airheaded," with a bright smile, that confused him if he should be offended or actually very happy about it. His father and Nobuyuki had told him that before, he didn't think it was true but it wasn't as if he could prove it. Though, when Rinne replied with a bright smile, perhaps brighter than any she had given to anyone, one that hit him hard in the heart, "I love airheads!"… Maybe he should embrace that completely.

Yet he couldn't stop himself from smiling widely, heart beating fast than ever as he took her hand and shook it, to which she had given a weird look while Kanetsugu just knew and smiled to himself. How he had said he looked forward to a long friendship while Rinne muttered that "We know each other… Though I suppose we didn't properly um shake hands… or do you have to do so when you become friends with someone….?" Then she seemed to discuss to Kanetsugu about something he had recklessly done with his stone just as he had left them behind and went back to his spot under the tree.

Though that mattered little, as it perhaps made him smile widely, for when he picked up the little bird that Kanetsugu had hit off its nest, as he whispered to the bird, not that it would understand, "She likes airheads."

* * *

Yukimura walked down the town, hoping to buy two things. The first was something to thank Kanetsugu for his enormous help, shivers still down his spine as he recalled Rinne's "I like airheads" that made his smile turn goofy. The second was something for her, actually, as he had never been able to thank her properly for all the charms. The time they had to face, her performance was better than in other days, though she couldn't hide that dejected look when she didn't hear him jingle. However, he showed the now sown to his armor red charm, and told her he kept all at his house but with that one, and it was as if he had all with him.

That said, it wasn't as if Yukimura actually knew what to buy, Kanetsugu wasn't known for liking flashy things and while he was well-read, Yukimura didn't know what he liked to read. So he thought to find a simple bookmark, one that wasn't flashy enough because his friend disliked grand ornaments that reeked of pretentiousness. And with that gift secured, he wondered what he could get Rinne, as he was not good at all in thinking what women liked, even less what she liked. Then, as if he was struck with a bolt, he remembered back when he had seen her coming out of an accessory store, the day he had invited her to eat, and hoped that the seller remembered Rinne.

Of course, he shouldn't have doubted, as the saleswoman quickly recalled the "curious woman in purple who seemed to stare for a long time at a hair decoration but in the end didn't buy it". Apparently, Rinne had been torn in buying it, but with the commotion over the crying man, she had turned back only to say that she couldn't buy it after all. Destiny was in his favor, as the accessory was still unsold and later he was carrying a small ornate box with the pin inside, as he prayed that he would meet Rinne again.

His luck wasn't so good, for it took him 4 days to meet her again. The fateful plaza had been their sacred place to bump into each other, though when he saw her, she was talking to someone that was fairly familiar to him.

"Hanamura-sama," the young man said as he bowed, "Thank you for the other day."

Rinne, unaware of Yukimura's presence, smiled and replied, "No need to thank me. How is your mother?" And Yukimura could have sworn he heard a faint "But please drop the –sama…"

The man took a deep breath but looked at the ground. "She-she passed away," he whispered in the biggest attempt to keep a stoic voice, breaking faintly, to which Rinne frowned.

"I'm sorry, is there something I can do?"

The young man cleared his eyes, as he took Rinne's hands, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Hanamura-sama. I will never forget what you did for us. If you ever need my assistance, don't even hesitate to ask. Suzuki Shinjiro will come right to help you in whatever I can."

The man bowed and left, wiping discreetly tears as he disappeared from her sight.

It was only when he could no longer be seen that Yukimura stepped and cleared his throat, to get Rinne's attention. "Good afternoon, Hanamura-dono… Are you alright?"

Rinne let out a sigh. "Well, yeah. Um, did you see that man I was talking to…? His mother passed away and while I didn't meet her personally, I can't help but feel sorry for him."

Yukimura offered her a smile as he pat her head lightly, though he held with his other hand the gift behind his back. He couldn't be as insensitive as giving it now, even if it had taken him a while to meet her. "Hanamura-dono is very kind. I'm sure the man and his family will be thankful of your consideration."

Rinne's cheeks flushed a little, though she shook her head. "I wonder… Anyway, what are you doing around here, Yukimura? It's always amusing to find you anywhere but the battlefield."

"Ah, I was uh, looking for Kanetsugu-dono."

"I haven't seen him in a while, though I'm sure if you mention 'love' or 'honor', he will magically appear."

Yukimura laughed. "Yes, you might be right." Then, he stared at the ground, as he realized he had run out of topics to talk. "Should I accompany to your house, Hanamura-dono? It'll be late soon."

"I think it's still early, should be around 3pm…" She answered, covering with her hand a grin that was widening with Yukimura's embarrassed expression. "But I could help you find Kanetsugu, unless you don't want me to see that gift you are hiding. Though I doubt that Kanetsugu would like a small box with a ribbon, perhaps it's for your girlfriend." She giggled and quickly added, "I'm just joking."

Yukimura stiffened as she talked, and he could feel his face grew warm, not obvious flushing. He cleared his throat as he wondered how perceptive she was about things, though. In any case, he had been found out and he thought that maybe with her looking slightly more cheerful, there was no harm in giving her the present. Without a warning, he held the present, to her and she alternated in looking at the gift and at Yukimura.

Pointing at herself, she asked, "Is, is that for me?"

"I never thanked you for the charms, though I didn't want to interrupt you while you were talking with that man…"

She looked at him, with warm kind eyes, as she opened the gift. Then, her gaze turned into shock as her cheeks turned pink and she quickly put the beautiful purple-blue flower on her hair. "How? I-I didn't have enough money for…"

"I apologize," Yukimura said, rather pleased with her reaction. "I asked around to find something nice for you. Ah, and before I forget…" Yukimura fished in his breastplate and took out a small handkerchief. "I've washed it, it's from the other day… Thank you, Hanamura-dono."

It was the one she had used to treat his cuts, one that Yukimura had forgotten to give, mainly because it was something from her and he liked to remember that day whenever he looked at it.

"It's okay, you can have it. Just make sure to not use it for cuts," she replied with a smile as she put the cloth in Yukimura's hand.

In that moment, Yukimura felt he was the luckiest man in the land.

* * *

Yukimura didn't really think about the supernatural. He had never given much thought about ghosts or spirits, though he had started to believe he was developing a sixth sense. Or rather, an uncanny intuition to see if Rinne was around. (Though she was quite loud and had a very particular way of talking that screamed her appearance before she even opened her mouth) So when she arrived at the ground where Yukimura would normally train, Yukimura was more than ready.

After much thought, and sleepless nights going over and over to what he should do, he was to pretend he was looking for his headband, right up on his forehead, like it always was. Of course Rinne would be intrigued and Yukimura had already foreseen two scenarios. If Rinne said he was wearing it, he'd just pretend to be very embarrassed, though he still hadn't figured out how to blush, as he couldn't do so on command. But his bet was on Rinne's perception. When he had tried the same with Nobuyuki, Kanetsugu and Mitsunari, he had gotten responses that went from "Are you joking?" to a very cold "Don't say stupid things, Yukimura, and stop fooling around". So Rinne would obviously glare at him for something so dumb.

However, the genius was what came later (And he was very proud of his own idea, if he could be). After Rinne would look at him with cold eyes, he'd just play dumb and get confused, asking if she was sick. He had even thought of maybe rubbing her belly, as a stomachache was the safest thing he could imagine. It was perfect.

So, the moment Rinne stepped in the field, Yukimura was frantically searching for his headband, though his concentration on pretending was certainly strong to give an impression of actual worry over something.

"What are you doing, Yukimura?" Rinne asked, eyeing him curiously as he was lifting a rock.

"Ah, good timing. Will you help me search for my headband?" Yukimura said, offering a warm smile, because even if he was pretending to be worried, his happiness at seeing her was 100% true.

Of course Rinne stood in silence, as Yukimura saw how her blue eyes (that he was very fond of looking at when she wasn't paying attention) drifted to his forehead. Now, all he had to do was wait for a cold stare and-

Without a warning, Rinne stepped closer, perhaps too close and she pressed with her finger Yukimura's forehead, smiling.

"Ah!" Yukimura could only say as he impulsively stepped back and he could feel his face burning in a fraction of second as he had never expected her to do that. A second later, he remembered he should say something, and he could only muster a weak "How embarrassing…" as his face continue to grow red.

Yet Rinne just laughed, as she covered her mouth, trying to not show her wide grin that was all too visible, as she said with difficulty, "Found it yet?"

And even if his plan had gone wrong, Yukimura couldn't help his heart from beating so fast because after all, he loved seeing her the most when she was laughing brightly like that.

* * *

It seemed like a dream when Rinne would end up fighting by his side, though it was also really energizing to fight against her. Perhaps there was something in her eyes, a determination and reluctance to lose that he shared as well, even if their goals for fighting were different. He fought to show his way, while Rinne didn't fight for an abstract goal or for Unification. When she had explained that she wanted to record the lives of people, writing down history, he actually thought it had been Mori Motonari who had entrusted her with that task. However, whatever the origin, her cause was far different and he had realized that Rinne was more of a pacifist and only liked the battles that didn't end with one side dead. He had tried to explain that in war sometimes people had to die, but Rinne insisted that she didn't fight for wars.

Her explanation hadn't made much sense to him, but it wasn't as if his made sense to hers, as whenever he said something about the glory of the battlefield, she would point at the charm and say in a loud voice that Yukimura should remember the deal. That said, he had begun to notice that perhaps it was easier to understand her by watching her rather than by words.

Hence, one battle when they were enemies, he made the unusual request to stick around, arguing that maybe more people would be willing to help her.

"Stay still, Yukimura," Rinne ordered as she tried to put a small bandage on Yukimura's cheek, which had gotten cut in their exchange of blows. Her technique had improved, though at times she looked a little paler than usual, not that he had been paying attention to her appearance.

He had tried to shrug it off as a little cut but nothing serious, but Rinne insisted in tending his wounds, and he had to admit that maybe he liked a little when she did that.

After that, he had followed her, earning at times odd looks from his own comrades as he had to explain that he was merely "watching", only gaining rolling eyes and snickers from the Sanada army. (Nobuyuki later explained that Yukimura's not so BLATANT feelings for Rinne had become a fast spreading news in their army, word reaching his father though Masayuki merely laughed as if he had seen that coming miles away) That said, Yukimura, who was supposed to be "helping her", quickly noticed that even if they were enemies, his clan seemed less hostile of Rinne's army than in previous times, some seeming quite eager to answer the question or doing the same as Yukimura and refusing treatment of their wounds, telling her to save them for others. And Yukimura noticed that Rinne would start by telling the man or woman's full name, asking how they have been and one question or if they had something to say. Some of his men seemed to have a lot of time but even so, Rinne would ask one thing and then thank them, going to the next garrison.

"Hanamura-dono," Yukimura asked.

"Yukimura!" Rinne replied, puffing her cheeks, as she had recently asked him to call her by her name, and dropping formalities, seeing how she was down to first name basis.

"R-right, um, Rinne…dono?" Yukimura hesitated to end without an honorific, as he wasn't ready yet to announce something like perhaps his real feelings, at least not yet. "Why do you not ask more if people seem willing to answer?"

"Well," she said as she packed her book, "If I end up talking too much to someone, then I won't be able to talk to others. And if I ask them everything in one go, wouldn't you feel sad or miss someone because you'd be busy. It's not like I'm just writing down names and dates and that, I like getting to know people. It's nice to hear other views, you can really learn a lot from others."

"I don't think I understand…"

"Imagine if I went to ask you everything, Yukimura. And after you answered everything I needed to gather, I don't talk to you anymore. Wouldn't you feel sad or used? I don't want to make people feel like I just talked to them to get something and then leave. And some of your soldiers or in other armies feel lonely, but you all are too 'warrior' to say "I just want someone to talk to me"."

"I am glad for that then. I'd feel sad and miss talking to Rinne-dono if you had just asked me first," he replied with a warm smile.

She blinked, then smiled, cheeks turning pink.

"Why do you repeat their names, though?"

"Well, it's a lot of people, so, well, if you say their name, people feel nice because you are trying to remember their names. And I think it's warmer than saying 'Hey, you'. Same to asking about someone's day. Most of the warriors don't reply other than a 'Fine', but you can tell how some are feeling. I can use that to see if I should ask something or let them talk. Sometimes people say they are fine, but they are not and you can tell there's something they want or not want to talk. I don't want to make people uncomfortable, so I let them say something or avoid a subject if they want to."

"I see… You are a really thoughtful person, Rinne-dono," Yukimura replied as he pat her head gently. "I think our soldiers have come to like you." And just as he said those words, he came to realize why suddenly people had started to cooperate more with her and how at least in terms of battles, whenever she was around, they didn't seem eager on killing.

The next stop was Nobuyuki, who looked at Yukimura, quizzical eyebrow at first, and then he turned to Rinne.

"That's a nice flower pin, Hanamura-dono."

She smiled as she pointed at it, "Yes, Yukimura gave it to me, it's really beautiful!"

Nobuyuki looked at his brother and rolled his eyes, then he and Rinne fought. For once, Yukimura was a spectator and then he could realize that while she had got better, her fighting was lacking something. Or there was something that didn't seem as elegant and energetic as the first time. It was through devious kicks or almost raw strength that she managed to win against Nobuyuki, but something told Yukimura that if it had been a longer fight, she would have lost.

"You have improved," Nobuyuki said, patting her head. "But…" He sighed as he looked at her, worried. "You shouldn't overdo it, have you been eating properly?"

Rinne fidgeted nervously, glancing awkwardly at Yukimura as if she didn't want him to listen for some reason. "I-uh, kinda."

"Rinne-dono, are you sick?" Yukimura rushed to ask, which would explain why she still didn't feel like she was fighting at her prime.

"Don't worry, Yukimura. 'Rinne-dono' (the way Nobyuki said so made Yukimura's cheeks flush as it was an obvious imitation of Yukimura's own tone) is fine. She just ends up spending a lot on money on medicine and ink and is struggling to buy food."

"Nobuyuki!" Rinne immediately interjected, as her face flushed bright red and Yukimura could swear he heard her stomach growl.

"It'll be no good if you hurt yourself. I understand your feelings, but be more careful of your own person before trying to help others," Nobuyuki chided in his calm voice as he patted her head, the same way one would do to a scolded child.

"If Rinne-dono is hungry… I could prepare something for her…" Yukimura said without thinking, making both Nobuyki and Rinne look at him strangely. "I-I am not knowledgeable about cuisine, but I can ensure Rinne-dono is well fed!"

Rinne shook her head furiously, red tint never fading. "I-it's alright, Yukimura!"

"Yukimura, Rinne-dono needs to fix this herself." Nobuyuki turned to Rinne, with an actual cryptic smile. "If you need help, I can help you with a budget proposal. We will look over to what is the money you can earn and how much you should save for food, for emergencies and for things you want to do. Meanwhile, Yukimura can invite you to eat after that."

Now it was Yukimura's turn to turn red. "Brother!"

"Surely, you wouldn't refuse to invite Rinne-dono to eat."

And worst part was, Nobuyuki was spot-on and Yukimura not only didn't refuse to invite her to eat, but he later asked if she'd like to walk a little and just talk. Damn his brother, he was really good.

* * *

Come to think of it, it had been a while since Yukimura had been actually asked something in the way Rinne asked the other soldiers. Their meetings had become more frequent yet she didn't address him in the usual "Good *insert time of the day*, Sanada Yukimura-san, how is your day?" that she seemed to exchange to virtually anyone else. He wondered at times if she had reached the amount of information she needed to write down about, which not only was extremely disappointing but also made him feel slightly lonely. Yet at the same time, Rinne had taken to ask not only about his military progress and how his training was doing, but also about his likes, if he had any other hobby besides training (which he hadn't), what he liked about many topics Yukimura was clueless about, and things about his childhood. It was only when he had to answer that he realized how boring he might seem as his interests were excruciatingly limited to fighting and war, which didn't make for very interesting topics to talk when asked for the Nth time. Maybe it was perhaps because of this that Rinne had given up writing something about him, which didn't make him feel better about himself.

However, there was also the unexplainable thing that even if Yukimura had admitted himself to be ignorant about many things, Rinne had taken to sometimes invite him to go with her to small visits to shrines or to see plays (usually cheap or free ones, as her budget was very tight, according to Nobuyuki). If she had read a book, she offered to lend it to him and hear what he thought. And while Yukimura didn't know much about plays nor he had a discerning eye to tell a good actor from a bad one or a good read from a terrible one, he was eager to participate even if his opinion was very limited. He couldn't really offer anything that she could like, but at the very least, his desire to accompany her and his eagerness to listen to whatever she said were vast and he thought that at the very least, he was showing his gratitude (As she refused to be invited always to eat and sometimes he was on the receiving end of being invited to dinner).

In any case, it was apparent to him that his efforts were not good enough and he had to try harder if he wanted to accomplish his plan.

* * *

When Yukimura had seen Rinne write something down as they talked about life in Shinano, he tried to take a look, only to find her hand skillfully covering what was being written (to his dismay). However, he managed to notice a sketch of someone that looked very similar to Yukimura to the right of her now-covered text. And of course, the two questions of "Is that me?" and "Did Rinne-dono draw this?" came out of his mouth, perhaps not skillfully asked as surprise had taken over him, and were on the other hand brilliantly diverted by a playful smile and Rinne pressing a finger on his lips.

Of course, the dubious nature of that book was always a mystery itself even if now both Masayuki and Nobuyuki knew what it was all about. Nobuyuki had learned from their Father and whenever Yukimura asked about the book, his father would only let out a laugh, as if he had heard of a joke so good that it was still funny after the Yth time.

The recordings of the life of the warriors of the era was something that Rinne had mentioned to both be interested in knowing and doing, so Yukimura didn't understand what exactly was so funny. And in those late hours in the middle of the dark, when he couldn't sleep, he sometimes wondered about Nobuyuki's words before he had been on much friendlier terms with the writer, about how the book was dangerous because who knows what was written. Yukimura would be the first to swear and almost fight that no, Rinne would never disclose such important information (despite never seeing it himself so it could range from very detailed aspects of their lives or their favorite food and place to nap, or maybe both), but there was the matter if someone else got their hands on the book.

And, to Yukimura's fear, Rinne was nothing but actually clumsy, since the book wasn't even supremely guarded or secured. It seemed only when he or others were around that she tried to prevent people from reading at the moment.

Then, in the same musings at night, there was a second realization Yukimura had, about how the writer of the story poured their soul into a recording of all of their lives, but the important question of "who writes about the writer" popped to his mind and suddenly he wondered if Rinne had even thought about that.

To answer his question, all he needed to do was ask her, and her blank stare of "I actually hadn't thought of writing about myself" spoke volumes to him. It was as if it was something that was so outside of her, as if she didn't consider herself part of "the people of the era" that she hadn't even saved a small page to talk about herself. So, while this sounded perhaps sad, Yukimura suddenly had a bout of inspiration, the one that made him feel pretty proud of himself, and asked days later as he didn't want to be so obvious, where Rinne was from.

Surprised to be actually asked about her, as apparently not many from the hundreds of people she had encountered had done so, Rinne needed some time to answer the question. After all, in an interview, the interviewer is never asked about their day, their favorite color or their opinions on the topics of clouds and agriculture (not that they could have the faintest idea but it was a topic). As recorder, the mission was to distance themselves from the events, and Yukimura realized that it was a lonely job, as even if important information about them was disclosed, there was something, proof of their existence (and apparently proof of how they actually looked like), that said that a soldier named Yukimura Sanada lived through difficult times. But even after reading the biographies of thousands of soldiers, no one would stop to think, "Well, who wrote this?" and wonder who had the time to gather such information.

It was most likely a fate Rinne had resigned herself too, as she babbled, "I-I'm from a small village in Kobe," as she scratched her head, perhaps embarrassed to be asked that. After all, most of the people interviewed came from distinguished clans or served those that, no matter how small or insignificant they seemed, shone brightly in comparison to a farming village near the sea. Her household was also small, she only lived with her older brother until recently and her parents had long passed away (to which he apologized). She had replied she was ok, her brother was very loving and to this day sent her money monthly to aid her in case she needed it (And perhaps he had heard the rumors of the perpetually broke young woman in the battlefield). That said, her brother worked in a sake house that she proudly said was among the finest in Japan (and later admitted she hadn't really tasted much because she didn't like alcohol), but he also had taken some orphans under his wing.

Next thing, he asked what was Kobe like, as he might have gone there but with intentions to battle and he hadn't gone to an actual rural area with people, just passing by the mountains and hearing once of some onsen in Arima that were apparently popular. Rinne suddenly seemed to blab more, as she described in detail the greenery of the forests surrounding the mountains and the mild weather that was neither too hot nor too cold (finding Shinano absolutely freezing and dreading already to go to Tohoku). When she was little, she had gone several times to Arima and Yukimura could have sworn she was inviting him to go there someday.

Another day and Yukimura asked when she had been born, half under the pretense of 'just wanting to celebrate her birthday' half hidden motive, if she had been to other places or if she had done something previous to taking Ieyasu's request. She hadn't done much apparently before battle, though she had been initiated because she wanted to help people fend off bandits that plagued some parts of the land. Yukimura was surprised that she was almost a natural at fighting but then chided her for her lack of compromise in training, as she trained 'sometimes' and spent more time doing other things. However, despite his words, he found himself smiling because it was much like her and she trained more to not lose than to kill.

She also liked to sleep and woke up later than anyone he knew, she really liked flowers (As if he couldn't decipher from her clothes and accessories), but particularly sunflowers. When she was little, she liked to go to the port because she could meet foreigners that had gone there to rest. She had also learned a little of first-aid and was very fond of drawing, and Yukimura thought at times, she was sketching him while they talked. A hardcore romanticist, she loved trashy romance novels and she liked to talk about them. Perhaps the information he got wasn't useful for his plan but it was very important to him.

And he found that as he spent time with her, and she talked about a time when she had fallen of a tree for trying to reach a cat, he had shared a story of when he had managed to elude the entire Sanada army because he wanted to play outside and couldn't. When he was done telling the story (and Rinne chided him for being naughty, with a smile that betrayed her words), he fell silent as it was perhaps among the few times he had told someone about his life. Nobuyuki didn't count because they were brothers and he was there, but he had told Rinne details that no one else had heard, like how he liked the feeling of grass under his feet and how he had once devised a way to climb a very tall tree and how at times he sometimes felt as if he was distancing from his brother, as Nobuyuki had several duties that made it impossible for him to spar with him.

And strangely, he had heard himself talking about how sometimes he had envied his brother's gift to listen and give advice or his wisdom in solving problems, things that Yukimura thought he was lacking among his other shortcomings. Perhaps it was because Rinne had held his hand warmly as she listened and he never saw her judging him for admitting something unsightly and dishonorable that he felt a little happy inside to trust her even with those feelings he sometimes had.

* * *

Yukimura had long thought about it and figured it was the right time to do it. Or rather, he had tried to play sneaky but now he couldn't stop himself from being impatient and was running out of convenient excuses just to sometimes accompany Rinne in minor errands outside battlefield. Battlefield was a coin toss, with him being a friend or foe, so he met her at times and it was increasingly obvious to others in the army his disappointed look when the army was another one and Rinne's weren't reinforcements. That didn't mean he didn't like fighting and he welcomed every match with gusto, but the truth was that he looked forward to fight against her the most. And while half of his army rolled their eyes, with smirks as they stared at him, some questioning why he was very insistent on fighting his rival, it was also the awkward way he expressed his affection. To Yukimura, someone on his level was dear to him but Rinne was more so. In any case, he had longed for a while now to maybe step it up.

He had got ready, prepared to say something and utter the words that he wanted to join her, as in not just tagging along for the battle, but Rinne had interrupted him first with that smile of hers that simply stopped him in his tracks.

"Yukimura, I was wondering if you wanted to chat, um, I have something important to ask you," she had said on the day he was about to confess, though the sounds of the crowds surrounding them in the town were too loud for any proper conversation.

He wanted to ask what it was about, but she only gave him a day, a time and a place, just before disappearing in the crowd, and leaving his confession unspoken. And of course, he spent reminiscing the conversation the entire day and night.

Of course, his surprise was huge, as he had met her under blooming trees of his own home, but didn't expect her and the basket full of what seemed to be home-made food and a bottle of wine. She noticed his eyes darting to what she was carrying and she offered the bottle, with a bright smile. Just as he saw her and the bottle, of a rather foreign brand around Ueda but that was popular around the brand of Kobe, up to par to Fushimi's own sake, his mind suddenly clicked.

"Thank you, Rinne-dono," he said warmly, perhaps too forward as she suddenly lifted her face to look at him. "But you didn't need to do this. I was already planning on joining your cause."

Her eyes widened in surprised, and Rinne needed some seconds to blink, and for her face to turn slightly pink. She cleared her throat, as she avoided his eyes for a moment, unable to hide that look of being caught by someone she least expected it. She scratched the back of her head, and offered an apologetic smile as she said, "Was I so obvious?", asked in such a meek tone that Yukimura couldn't help to enjoy.

He was almost compelled to say that she was indeed, for the actual brand was very expensive and needed more money than what she could easily toss around and the wine none other than his favorite one. A fact so safely kept to himself and a few others, that she would have never guessed unless she went snooping to a certain talkative older brother of his that had just 'conveniently' went over Yukimura's favorite drinks a few days ago. (Of course, he hadn't really thought about it back then, but now it was very obvious). He was also very compelled to say that he was very aware she wasn't a drinker and she was not the kind of person to buy something she'd not use with money she hardly had unless it was very important. So of course, she had a hidden agenda, one that he very much liked. And he also wanted to hold her hand and enthusiastically say that yes, he would follow her and that was what he actually wanted to ask her back then, but his plan to ask her paled in comparison and he was touched and very flattered/ecstatic/utterly blissful she had gone through all of that to ask for him to accompany her.

However, he just opened the lid, trying to keep the feelings in check for a little longer, as he said, "Let's drink and talk of our next move." He grabbed a cup, looking at Rinne in the eye to see if she maybe wanted, and to his surprise, she did. And just as he was pouring the wine into the cup, his eyes flashed, and it took all of Yukimura's self-control to hide that devious smirk that threatened to surface. "I can hold my drink, so you've got a long night ahead!"

He handed Rinne the cup, and poured one for himself. And just as Rinne was about to drink, Yukimura took his, swallowed the content in one go, smiled at her and fell on his back.

"Wh-" Yukimura heard Rinne muster and saw her put down the untouched cup. She sighed as she said, "You are really air-headed." But as soon as she was done, she let out a small laugh and moved close to him.

Yukimura closed his eyes, as he was supposedly pretending to be drunk already, so he certainly couldn't seem very in control of himself, but he didn't expect her to nudge him a little and he ending up resting his head on her lap. Nor he did foresee the fingers she ran through his hair, gentle and soothing moves that made Yukimura drowsy. For some reason, he felt his entire body relaxing, subduing to her without any resistance, and he weakly uttered how "it tickled", which made her chuckle. He had to admit that he hadn't really thought further from 'pretend to be drunk' other than getting a laugh or chuckle and somehow she had flipped it and the joke was now on him. Not that it actually mattered as he was in pure bliss, face muscles relaxing and the stupor of coming sleep was growing stronger until he found himself dozing off. But just before he lost himself to her touch, he held her hand, because if he was going to sleep, he at least wanted to just feel her hand intertwined to his.

When he opened his eyes, after what felt a long time and the sun had dyed the sky red, being woken up (begrudgingly) by a chilly wind, he looked up and met Rinne's gentle expression. He lifted his hand, clumsily as he was still drowsy, and stroked Rinne's cheek.

Yukimura thought to himself that he would have no complaints if he woke up like that for the rest of his life.

* * *

It had been three months already since he had joined Rinne's cause and he had offered himself to accompany her throughout the land, similar to how the wandering group had done so. Sometimes someone else joined them in battle but now it was widely known, at least in the region of Kanto that Yukimura and Rinne were travelling together. However, to every person that asked him, he had to explain that they weren't together "in that way" and it wasn't as if they were all the time together. Yukimura did all of the activities he had done in the past as always and Rinne did hers as well. They just shared the same inn room whenever they were traveling, and they made time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together and spent an unusual time together that Yukimura explained was because "they were traveling together".

That said, Yukimura didn't want to just "travel together", because he deeply enjoyed her company but he also deeply wanted that she liked him as he did, as he kept on being the airhead she so desired but realizing that with time he would have to come clean. Sure, he could pretend to be airheaded all the time (and he wouldn't really mind because he loved seeing her face and that smile whenever he upped the ditzy) but he also didn't want secrets between the two of them.

So he had once more asked for Nobuyuki's help, who gave him a look of "You've taken a while to come to ask me what you'll ask me to do." But even if he silently scolded Yukimura, Nobuyuki ruffled his little brother's hair as he laughed because Yukimura could be like a sneaky devil at times.

"Fooling a young maiden is not good, Yukimura. Be ready if she wants to slap you," his brother had said, but the warning lacked the usual stern tone one would expect.

"I hope she's not angry with me," Yukimura admitted.

Then, it was a matter of waiting. He was swinging his spear and training, as Rinne watched from under a tree. He could faintly hear their words, as he was busy skewering the petals that the whirlwind had brought.

"I'm his brother, and sometimes even I can't tell which is his real persona. I'd like to think he's truly himself around you."

His brother left, and Yukimura was sure he had that knowing smile on his face, which was Rinne's cue to confront Yukimura. And just as he expected, the moment he laid down his spear and turned, Rinne was there standing and staring at him, deep in thought and for a slight moment, Yukimura worried she was angry, as he couldn't really decipher the emotion in her eyes.

"Your brother told me something… troubling," she started.

"Rinne-dono?"

"Show me the real Yukimura."

"I'd like to think I've always have. Ah, I'm sorry. That sounded a little calculated, didn't it?" Yukimura said, and offered her a genuine apologetic smile. However, Rinne didn't say anything and simply looked at Yukimura. His smile wavered, he expected her to say something.

"You said you liked airheads and I wanted you to like me."

No answer.

"I like you, Rinne. Please don't get mad."

Rinne stepped forward, staring at him for a long time with a gaze whose meaning was lost on him and gave him a sinking sensation as if he had done something wrong. She reached out to his face and pinched both of Yukimura's cheeks lightly.

"I didn't mean to ang-"

In a blink of an eye, Yukimura was pulled down and a pair of lips pressed against his. As if he was doused under cold water, his heart froze for a second and he remained motionless until the act and the meaning itself finally got to him and his heart started pounding fast in his chest. Yet he couldn't make any move as no coherent thought could be processed and scattered away as fast as it was even formed. Her lips were soft and tender, touching his for what seemed like eons, and Yukimura stood there without any reaction.

Rinne pulled away and looked at him. He couldn't even say anything, the most that managed to get out of his mouth was a weak "Ah," and his face instantly turned red, even brighter than the time when he was looking for his headband. She smiled, which somehow made it even worse for him to recover, which in turn made her start giggling.

"Why are you so surprised?" She asked, her index finger touching her lip as she feigned an innocent smile that made him even more flustered. "You know I like airheads, after all." She stepped up closer, so that there were inches between the two of them. "I just didn't tell you," she whispered as she traced his lips with her finger, "I like sneaky too."

"Please stop teasing me…" he managed to say, after going through a lot of effort to not have the words die in his throat but she pressed her finger against Yukimura's lips.

"This is your punishment."

Then, she started laughing.

"By the way, maybe next time you tell Kanetsugu to not include animals in your little stunts."

"So you-"

"Maybe I did." She smirked, a hand running through Yukimura's hair. "I'd not believe that as the son of Sanada Masayuki, you don't even have a devious bone in your body. Ok, and maybe I asked your brother for confirmation, because let me tell you. He's very quiet and sneaky too, but he can't hide that knowing smile of his at all."

Yukimura held her waist, and looked at her blue eyes. "No, he can never do that."

"That said," Rinne cupped Yukimura's face, "You are, I'll say 50% airheaded, 50% sneaky. Just what I like." She pulled down Yukimura and finally they both kissed.

* * *

Yukimura had finally finished what he had long started. Holding that small piece of paper and something to write, he fished around Rinne's bag, glancing at times to see if Rinne was still asleep, and took out her Chronicle book. He just had to find the last page and transcribe quickly the notes he had in his paper, wait the ink to dry and put the book back. He hoped that once they were done with the task, Rinne would arrive to the last page and see her own biography written and he would be there, waiting anxiously for that moment.

He flipped through pages, not really looking at them but then he stopped at a familiar scribble, the one that reflected his very own brown eyes and face, noticing he had reached the page that talked about him. He realized it was his chance to see what was written about him, hopefully something nice, and while it wasn't a nice thing to do, he could just peek if it was a long paragraph of-

Yukimura stopped and furrowed his brow. He saw his face, his name, written in kanji and hiragana. He saw his day of birth and the emblem.

And gibberish.

He couldn't read it. There was something written there, but it was a mix of funny looking characters, once he had once seen, some looking like circles and others like sticks and funny looking curves and anything that did absolutely not resemble Japanese at all.

"I see you are being a naughty boy," Rinne whispered to his ear, as she hugged him from behind, pressing her body against his back.

"Rinne!" he managed to blurt, as he closed the book in one swift move. "I can explain. I just wanted to-"

She moved and sat on the bed, as Yukimura was torn between looking at her and avoiding her gaze, embarrassed for being caught doing something dishonorable. However, Rinne didn't look angry at all, on contrary, Yukimura swore she was ecstatic, as if she had long waited for that.

"Why, I didn't know you knew English, Yukimura," she said, grinning.

"What? English?"

She let out a laugh, one that screamed she was so proud of herself, and added, "Well, I know for a fact that around 99% of the people here don't know English at all. So, they won't be able to read this." She pointed at the book. "That includes Ieyasu."

Yukimura blinked. He opened the book and went through every single page, all with the same funny looking characters that seemed to be grouped in what he thought were words but made absolutely no sense to him.

"Let's say Ieyasu or someone steals the book because, as your brother put it, it holds very secret and dangerous information. When they open it, they read names and AHA! -she snapped her finger- Surprise, surprise! They can't read a thing! Pretty ingenious, won't you say?"

Yukimura looked down at the book, the unfriendly foreign characters staring at him. "But if no one can read English, does that mean your work will never be read?"

"Well, once we have found peace and the war is over, I can just translate it to Japanese. Then, the book will harm no one, and people will know of a courageous airheaded sneaky man called Sanada Yukimura. I have a hunch that English will become a language that will drive the world, so you'll be internationally famous." Rinne sat on Yukimura's legs and poked his nose.

"Um, then what do I do with this?" Yukimura mustered, as he showed Rinne the page he was holding, and she read it with curiosity at first, but stopped midway. For once that grin of satisfaction was wiped off her face, being replaced by an astonished look and flushing cheeks.

"Yukimura, you- you did this, you wrote about me…?"

"I wanted everyone to know about you, since you weren't going to add your own biography. You are part of this land, after all." He said softly, and pressed his lips on her forehead. "But maybe you can translate it to English and add it to the book."

Next thing he knew, Rinne had flung her arms to his neck and held him tightly, as her voice broke trying to say, "Thank you, Yukimura."

But that embrace lasted just seconds, just before Yukimura pressed his lips against hers once more.

* * *

_Thank you for reading._

_Final notes: Orfevre is the name of the horse Yukimura gets in the SWx JRA crossover Derby Musou. Also Kobe is known for attracting a lot of foreign tourists._


End file.
